January 25, 2010

Dear Friends,

Thank you for your gift for the Haiti Disaster Appeal. One hundred per cent of your gift will be used to assist the Daughters of Charity in Haiti who are serving the people most in need. The Sisters are natives of Haiti and operate clinics in Port Au Prince, the Haitian capital. They have been there for years and are known and respected by the people. Other Daughters of Charity from neighboring Dominican Republic have joined them in the effort and they brought medicine and medical supplies with them. We purchased these for them with the funds sent by many caring people, like you. In the days ahead we will continue sending financial support as well as medical supplies in ocean containers. The retail value of medicines provided so far by Seton is roughly $2 million. Still the needs remain great.

Information is coming back to us through the relief workers. We know that the Daughters of Charity house in Port Au Prince was destroyed and the Sisters have been sleeping in tents. And we received the sad news that one of the Sisters, Sister Brigitte Pierre, perished in the rubble of the earthquake. However, the three Daughters of Charity clinics in the capital, Port Au Prince, though damaged, still are functioning and providing services to the sick and injured.

Obviously, help is still needed. If you have contributed, thank you. You can see that your donation is being put to good use. If you have not yet contributed to this effort, or even if you have, please consider giving to help with ongoing needs of the people of Haiti. And let us continue to pray for all those who are suffering because of this tragedy.

Late last week President Obama signed legislation that allows taxpayers to deduct their charitable contributions toward Haiti relief from their 2009 tax returns. Cash donations to charities for the Haitian relief effort given after January 11 and before March 1 of this year may be treated as if the contribution were made on December 31 of last year so the contribution can be deducted from 2009 income. The measure applies to monetary donations, not goods or services.

Donations to Seton Institute may be made by hitting the donate invitation. Thank you again. Peace and blessings to you and your family.

Sincerely,

Deacon Gene Smith
Executive Director

Seton Institute supports the primary healthcare work of Catholic Sisters in the least developed countries of the world. Since 1985, Seton Institute has provided $11 million in grants and shipped $40 million worth of medical aid to Sisters in 45 countries throughout Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. Since all of our operating costs are covered by our generous benefactors, 100% of every donation directly supports the Sisters’ health programs.